Lion Pose, Simhasana

Simhasana – Lion Pose encourages us consciously to express the fierce side of ourselves! It activates the internal energy locks (bandhas) and clears the throat passage.

In Lion Pose the body and face are manipulated at once to invoke the force and intensity of a lion’s roar. In fact, this posture is thought to be one of the best face exercises you can get, helping the blood circulate in the face, stretching and firming the skin, reducing wrinkles and crows feet. People often overlook another benefit of Lion Pose: it stimulates the platysma, which is a thin, rectangular-shaped muscle in the front of throat. This exercise will keep the platysma strong as you age.

It’s also great fun, it’s expressive nature leaves you feeling happy and revived.

1. From a kneeling position, lean forward to lift the buttocks and cross your ankles. Have the left foot closest to the floor, with the toes of both feet pointing back. Drop the tailbone toward the floor and lengthen up through the spine.

2. Place the palms of your hands on the knees with the arms fully extended. Spread the fingers wide, fully energising the arms from the shoulders through to the fingertips. REMEMBER: don’t slouch as you do this.

3. Close your eyes and take a long slow inhalation. On the exhalation lean forward a little, open the jaw as wide as possible, and allow your tongue to roll out as far as it is able to reach. Aim to touch the chin. Roll your eyes back to gaze up at the third eye area which is between the eyebrows. At the same time as you exhale, make a roaring noise in the back of the throat. In fact, roar two of three times. Hold this position and breathe through your mouth.

Lion Pose, Simhasana – modified Hero Pose version

4. Draw the tongue back inside the mouth close, the jaws and close the eyes. Relax your face, mouth, eyes, throat, and hands. Cross your ankles the opposite way and repeat Simhasana twice more.

Lion Pose, Simhasana Counter Poses

In yoga we use a counter pose in a sequence; For example, a twist follows a backbend to “neutralise” the spine, or a forward bend follows a backbend to help lengthen the spine and calm the nervous system.

Yoga Lily

Lili has been studying and practising yoga in China & UK for 20 years, and teaching since 2007 (7 years in the UK). She draws inspiration from her training within established, classical yoga systems that focus on alignment, hatha vinyasa in its gentler form, yin, yin/yang, and restorative yoga styles, pranayama and meditation; blending the roots of Chinese healing traditions into a more holistic practice.
For her, practice covers not just the physical aspects of yoga but also aligning and unblocking the bodies meridian energy pathways to release Qi energy (prana) which flows through the bodies energy highway, bringing the mind, body and spirit back into balance.
“I am continually humbled by my students and teachers, my aim is always to teach from the heart and from the idea that yoga is the art of living, listening and learning, to embody this deeply spiritual tradition”
– Lili Chen.